The Content Group will be working with BSI British Standards to develop the first ever Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for Enterprise Content Management.
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) has become increasingly important in a business world powered by the internet, where information is expected to be available instantly and at any time of day or night on a global basis. The result is a proliferation of information that is often unstructured and difficult to navigate through and, from a company perspective, complicated or even impossible to manage.
The aim of The Content Group's work with BSI is to develop a best practice standard for Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and establish a frame of reference for the entire ECM market.
Once completed, the standard will provide definitions and a common understanding of ECM. It will enable benchmarking and ensure consistent, measurable Enterprise Content Management with increased accountability and transparency across the whole information spectrum.
The manifold benefits of an industry-wide code of practice for ECM include helping organisations and individuals to understand 'What it is', 'What it can do', and 'How to measure the quality level of any project against a formally recognised specification'. The PAS is intended to be the first step moving towards an internationally agreed standard for ECM.
Ben Richmond, Founder and CEO of The Content Group, will be the lead author and will also head up the team involved in producing the standard using a 2-stage stakeholder consultation. The steering panel of stakeholders will review and provide feedback on the best practice standard before it is put out for public consensus. New and existing best practice work in this area will also be considered in the PAS development. This process is designed to develop a credible, usable method through an open and consultative forum.
He says "This is a major step forward for our industry. With the unparalleled proliferation of information and the challenges that presents to organisations across the globe ECM has come to the fore. The establishment of an ECM best practice is long overdue and should be seen as critical to the successful development and implementation of an ECM strategy."
Mike Low, Director of BSI British Standards comments "BSI British Standards is delighted to be working with The Content Group on this important first step towards a framework for best practice in Enterprise Content Management. The combination of BSI's development capability and the expertise of The Content Group will ensure a PAS that enables stakeholders to better understand ECM and therefore raise the standard in this area."